Her Knight in Shining Armor
by SarBear489
Summary: Ron begins to feel something for Hermione, but he's not sure what it is. Will he take the risk of breaking up their friendship to fall in love with her?
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or rights to JK Rowling's work.  
  
Ginny  
  
Hope you're having a good summer holiday! I've been trying to write to Ron for weeks, but none of my letters have been returned, so I thought I'd ask you what's been going on around the Burrow lately. I finally got my O.W.L scores... Outstanding in most classes, even potions! The only one I was disappointed about was Astronomy. Hope you're all doing well. I'll be in Diagon Alley the week before school begins for the year, so hopefully I'll see you there!  
  
Regards, Hermione  
  
Hermione watched as Pigwidgeon flew through the open window and out of sight, hoping this time, maybe, that she would receive a reply from Ron. This last letter, the one she had just sent, had been addressed to Ginny rather than Ron, asking the girl if she knew why her brother wouldn't return Hermione's letters. She knew, with that one, she would be hitting below the belt. Going to Ginny was a last resort... One that she usually wouldn't turn to and one that Ron would undoubtedly frown upon.  
  
"RONALD WEASLEY!" Ginny went tearing through the Burrow, finally slamming Ron's bedroom door open and glaring at the boy. "Why on earth haven't you been answering Hermione's letters?!" she asked angrily. Ron shook his head. Hermione had gone over his head to the one person he wished she wouldn't have gone to. Ginny would never let him live this down. "Er... I dunno, nothing to say I guess," Ron replied sheepishly, his face turning a delicate shade of crimson. "Well that's still no excuse," she fiery red- headed girl snapped back at him, throwing Hermione's letter down on the floor in front of her feet. She gave an exasperated sigh and stormed out of the room, shaking her head. Ron got up from his desk, walked over to where the letter lay on the floor, and picked it up. After reading it through once or twice, he carried it over to where he had been sitting before and opened the drawer in front of his chair to reveal a small stack of envelopes, all addressed in the same hand. All of the letters had been opened, but they had all been neglected.  
  
Ron sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Hermione. That wasn't the case at all. It was all her fault anyway, kissing him on the cheek like that last year. If she hadn't gone and done that, he wouldn't have just gotten yelled at and he would have returned Hermione's letters promptly, like he had done in the previous summers. Pulling out a piece of parchment and unscrewing the lid on his ink, Ron began to write.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
The boy sat silently for a few minutes. Why couldn't he decide what to write? He had never had this problem before, and he wouldn't dare tell anyone about it. For some reason, any time he tried to put words on paper for Hermione, his mind went blank, just as it did when they spoke. But he didn't like her. Not like that. That wouldn't happen to them... Liking people broke up friendships, after all, didn't it? Shaking his head, Ron wrote a few phrases of apology and a sentence or two about how well his summer was going on the parchment before signing his name. He sat back in his chair, reading the note to himself a few times before supposing it was good enough and sending it with Pig. 


	2. Chapter Two

Hermione awoke the next morning to the sound of tapping on her bedroom window. Groggily, she trudged over to the window and tugged at the latch, pulling the stubborn thing open. Obviously not fazed by the time of morning, Pigwidgeon hopped over the window sill and held out his leg, on which was tied a small piece of parchment. Hermione pulled the parchment free and watched as Pig flew out the window before unrolling the letter. Three sentences were sloppily scrawled onto the parchment in Ron's hand.  
  
Hermione  
  
Sorry I haven't written... Hope things are going well; well done on your OWLS. I'll probably be in Diagon Alley a few days before the train leaves for school, so I'll probably see you there.  
  
Ron  
  
Hermione sighed. Ginny had probably stood over Ron's shoulder, watching him write this short note and tapping her foot loudly on the floor as he sent it. There wasn't really another explanation to the quick and mindless way this letter had been written. It wasn't like Ron to write lengthy, detailed letters, but they were usually longer than a few sentences.  
  
After trying for hours to sleep, Ron Weasley threw his legs over the side of his bed and stood up gingerly. The red-headed boy walked slowly down three flights of stairs to the kitchen, where his mother was busy preparing breakfast for his large family. "Morning, Mum," he said softly, announcing his appearance humbly as he sat down in his usual chair at the kitchen table. "Good morning, dear. Waffles are almost ready, if you'll be wanting some breakfast," the rotund woman stated cheerfully. Ron nodded his head and slumped down in his chair. He felt guilty for sending such a quick and heartless letter to Hermione, but he was afraid that if he was more open with his thoughts and feelings, something might spill out that he didn't really want to say. Ron was fully aware that he often spoke before he thought.  
  
"You know, dear, you can feel free to invite Harry and Hermione to Diagon Alley the last week of the holiday," Mrs. Weasley chimed as she slid a waffle onto a plate and dressed it to fit Ron's tastes. "Why don't you write and ask if they'll join us?" she added persistently. Ron just nodded. While the concept of seeing Hermione again after a long two months was certainly exciting, he didn't know how he would react. If only she hadn't given him that innocent peck on the cheek. That's what started it all. Or at least that's what Ron kept telling himself.  
  
Harry Potter stared out the window, practically waiting with baited breath for a letter from Ron. The boy hadn't written in awhile, but it was unlike Ron to write unless he had something specific to say. And since the holiday was coming to an end, Harry was very much ready to leave the Dursley household and step foot into the magical world again for the first time in two months. Just the sound of it was music to Harry's ears after two months of living with the Dursley family. Dudley, Petunia, and Vernon had a way of making Harry miserable. In fact, they spent their entire summer trying their best to do just that. If they could have driven him out of the house, they certainly would have, but both knew that the consequences of doing so would be great. So all Harry could do was wait. And keep a permanent watch on his window at all times.  
  
(AN) Thanks to all my reviewers!! Keep them coming! 


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